Dev1 Galaxy Forum / Install from Ventoy

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (delgado) — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 11:00:13 +0000

Interesting, didn't know that cp has a device mode. Fist thought was you ment cat, which equally works here.

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (rolfie) — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 07:08:51 +0000

From any Linux, use any USB stick that large enough for the iso and can be overwritten, and use cp or dd to the raw device, i.e. /dev/sda. Not to a partition like /dev/sda1.

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (ralph.ronnquist) — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 04:21:11 +0000

There is no magic involved.

Installers that are fully contained within their initrd will be fully loaded by ventoy from their ISO files, and "work" provided that they don't require access to their media.

Installers that require access to their media will not have that access, because the media is not available as partitions with ventoy.

If such an an installer is made to look for a ventoy partition, to mount that filesystem, to search for their ISO among the collection of ISO image files, then it may well also work.

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (pcalvert) — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 03:53:47 +0000

In case anyone prefers to use Ventoy, I believe that I used Ventoy to install Daedalus-based Refracta on a Lenovo notebook. That being the case, I suspect that the Devuan desktop-live ISO, and maybe the Devuan minimal-live ISO, would also work.

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (ralph.ronnquist) — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 23:13:03 +0000

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (SlowDancer) — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 21:46:29 +0000

So, which tool to create bootable USBs is recommended for Devuan?

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (rolfie) — Mon, 20 May 2024 21:05:10 +0000

I am sorry, I just reported my recent observation which took me as surprise. I am a user with no real insight how things really work together.

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (pcalvert) — Mon, 20 May 2024 10:48:07 +0000

As I pointed out in the past, the problem is with Ventoy and not Devuan. Ventoy uses a "hacky" method to perform its "magic", and the result of this is a solution that is not very robust.

Here's what the developer of the Limine bootloader had to say about Ventoy:

“Limine is not Ventoy, nor does it try to be. I am not a fan of Ventoy as I think it is a terrible hack (because it needs to support each and every single OS (Linux, FreeBSD...) individually. For example, it needs to load its own kernel modules for various OSes in order to add "virtual drives" since ISO files aren't really made to show up to the OS kernel as separate drives).”

Source:
https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic. … 699#p88699

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (ralph.ronnquist) — Mon, 20 May 2024 10:43:35 +0000

Which issue?

Clearly mount doesn't find any partition with label DEVUAN501 so the preamble moves on to the Ventoy patch in order to loopback the ISO image if it finds that, which it does. The loopback device is next presented to the installer which then is quite happy using that.

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (rolfie) — Mon, 20 May 2024 08:45:03 +0000

Update with an interesting observation on a Daedalus 5.0.1 netinstall: had to use the resuce mode, a legacy install. The Devuan preamble is displayed and then the same error message that appears in Ventoj:

mount: mounting LABEL=DEVUAN501 on /cdrom failed: No such file or directory
506635 blocks

shows up.
After some thinking then the language selection menu pops up. This is repeatable.

@ralph ronnquist: maybe this observation is a handle to fix this issue?

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (brocashelm) — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 20:59:30 +0000

In my experience, Ventoy has been a smooth experience. All I had to do was format the USB thumb drive with the program, and then copy and paste individual ISOs onto its path. Once that's done, I just do a safe removal prompt and wait a short while until Thunar says it's OK to physically unplug the device (yes, it does seem to take longer for EXT4 partitions, but it's not that big of a deal if you do this ahead of time). I then test it by rebooting and seeing the menu with the ISOs available. I have had minor troubles on UEFI-only systems, but I just have to select the UEFI option on the system boot menu (just before the Ventoy USB thumb drive boots).

It's strange to me that despite its rising popularity, no GNU/Linux distro has ever packaged it for their official repositories. The official binaries from the maintainer work, and I'm not too worried about making sure I have the latest version, provided that what I use already works. It has definitely eliminated any further need for other live USB programs. If and when I ever produce my own Devuan derivative, it WILL include a Ventoy launcher of some sort. Amazing piece of software!

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (rolfie) — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 16:19:54 +0000

To make sure the latest version is on the stick finally? And that does not change the issue with the Daedalus media?

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (boughtonp) — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 14:42:18 +0000

rolfie wrote:

Updated my Ventoj ...

Your "y" key is clearly working... so, why?

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (ralph.ronnquist) — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 20:33:43 +0000

Yeah, the core problem is that the ISO is not available as a mountable partition to the installer, but instead the installer would need to search for it as an image file among the available drives and partitions. It's a whole new use case collective that the installer is (was) not prepared for.

Otoh it's not terribly complicated to add such a search to it; possibly something coming out sooninsh.

Re: Install from Ventoy

dummy@example.com (rolfie) — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 17:49:55 +0000

Updated my Ventoj to 1.0.96 and also tried the server and the desktop iso, all the same.